Friendly Competition
by Froot Writes
Summary: One-shot. Naruto and Sakura engage in multiple competetive activities, and for a while it's all in good fun. But it soon gets out of hand. It's all fun and games 'til someone falls in love... Mild lime, some fluff if you squint


''1, 2, 3...''

''Scissors.''

''Paper... damn.''

''Ha ha. 1, 2, 3...''

''Paper.''

''Ugh... Rock.''

Lately, Naruto and Sakura had found themselves playing each other in competetive games quite often. Maybe it was the boredom. Maybe it was the childish need to play.  
Whatever it was, it compelled them to beat each other at everything.

It's no secret that Naruto and Sakura are both stubborn. So when you get two stubborn personalities together, sparks fly. Their competition sometimes became heated, but it never got nasty. Both parties agreed to keep it friendly.

Roshambo was a favorite of theirs, almost a tradition on these long, boring duo missions. What else could a bored ANBU Captain and equally bored Medic Corps Captain do on these long stake-outs?  
The answer... was Roshambo.

Hours passed.

''1, 2, 3...''

''Lion.''

''Ha! Smoke bomb. I win...''

''Smoke bomb? No, Lion beats Smoke Bomb.''

''Nuh-uh. Lion can't see in Smoke Bomb.''

''So? Lion has a great sense of smell.''

''What? You just made that rule up.''

The two gave each other a stare-down. This usually happened after they'd been playing too long. They would make up their own Roshambo pieces and bend the rules.

''This one decides it,'' Sakura said finally.

''Right. Last one. Real pieces?''

She nodded, readying her hands.

''Real pieces.''

After the two exchanged threatening looks - a playful habit that soon became serious - they raised their hands in unison.

''1...''

''2...''

''3...''

''Rock!''

''Rock!''

They both stared. It was a tie.  
Silence fell like a blanket over the dimly-lit campsite, the only sound the snaps of the kindling and flicker of the flames.

This had yet to happen. A tie was unprecedented. They had no rule, no tactic for this kind of thing.

After the silence had gone on long enough, voice low, Sakura said:

''...Wanna wrestle?''

Naruto almost fell over. Wrestle? That was completely out of the blue.

''We haven't done that yet,'' she added, sealing the deal.

Naruto nodded in agreement, but he seemed apprehensive.

Wrestling... with Sakura?

''C'mon,'' Sakura said suddenly, standing to her feet.

''Don't tell me you're afraid,'' she added tauntingly, a glint in her eye. That would surely get Naruto off his ass.  
Sure enough, he jumped to his feet.

''Hah. Yeah, right!''

-

-

They had cleared the area, choosing to compete in close proximity to the light of the fire. The two shinobi took their positons across from each other, crouched in a readied stance.

''Uh... so how do we do this?'' Naruto asked before they began.

''Rules are simple. Whoever's down on the count of five, or whoever taps out loses. One match.''

He nodded, deciding the rules were acceptable.

''We start at the next owl's call,'' she added. Naruto agreed.

The two stood there for minutes, staring at each other in their stances. Naruto would never admit it out loud, but he was a little nervous. Sakura was too, but he was none the wiser.

''Hoo-hoohoo.''

The young adults ran at each other full speed. Both had learned in physical activities it was unwise to hold back, and Sakura once said to Naruto, ''holding back because I'm a girl will only insult me.''

From then on, Naruto gave Sakura his all.

There was a moment of resistance as they collided, but Sakura lost her footing and was pushed back. Naruto collapsed on top of her. He stared at her in what looked lke surprise. Given their position...  
Sakura took this small moment of Naruto's distraction to grab his shoulders tightly and push him over with her own, their cheeks brushing for just a slight second.

With a hard thump, Naruto found himself on his back.

''Ha!'' Sakura gave out a small victory cry, pleased with her skill. Though she quickly simmered down as she saw the look on Naruto's face.  
He stared up at her in astonishment, lips slightly parted. There was a reddish tinge on his cheeks. Only then did Sakura realize their position.

She was sitting on top of him, straddling his waist, legs thrown over either side of his body.

Her words caught in her throat; she was paralyzed, staring down at him.  
He seemed to be struck with the same problem.

The two shinobi stared at each other for a long while, not a single word spoken.

Sakura didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the dim light the fire gave off. Maybe it was the darkness of their surroundings. Maybe it was the sudden heat she felt. Whatever it was, it made her place her palms up near his head and lean down to kiss his lips.

The first contact was light; unsure. But as Sakura soon got a taste of him, she closed the distance between their lips once more, savoring the contact. Naruto felt a little numb, and his movements were slow, lethargic, as if it were a hazy dream at first, but he kissed her back, and all of a sudden it felt like it really were a dream.  
Sakura's passioned flagged, though, as she realized just WHERE she was sitting.  
She quickly lept off of him like a spooked cat, and scooted over near the fire. Naruto propped himself up on his elbows, watching her back.

''...Who won?''

Sakura smiled for a fleeting second, then spoke.

''I pinned you for way more than five seconds.''

She didn't hear him protest, and she knew there was no reason to.

They had both won that match.

Author's Notes:

Wow! I'm actually proud of this one! I'd had the rough draft lying around (on notebook paper mind you), and only today had I rediscovered it. I'd though I would salvage what I could, add some stuff and tweak it just so, then post it up here!  
Thanks for reading, your total come to $15.67  
xD

Sequel? If I'm at a loss for ideas and bored, maybe.


End file.
